How to Dust Your Entire House
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Steps
- Gather all the tools your need to dust your house.
- Dust systematically. Don't just go and dust random things; instead follow a specific path through your house to make sure that you dust everything. Make sure that your mind doesn't wander of when you dust. Don't get distracted while dusting, since you might miss a spot.
- Listen to music while you dust. You'll move faster and it will help you to stay on task.
- Move clockwise or counterclockwise trough the room. Dust the furniture near the wall and proceed clockwise or counterclockwise. Just take your damp cloth and start wiping away the dust. Move objects as you go and clean the surface underneath thoroughly. As you replace the items, clean those items as well.
- Shake or rinse your cloth regularly. When you notice your cloth has become dirty and full of dust, rinse or shake it out outside of the house.
- Dust the hard to reach places. While you are dusting don't forget to dust the hard to reach places, like behind the furniture and crevices in the furniture. Use a small paintbrush to get in the nooks. To reach behind heavy furniture you can use a synthetic duster with a long stick or you can even use a vacuum cleaner. To take away the dust and cobwebs along the wall you can use a damp mop, a brush, or a Swiffer. Don't forget to dust the chandeliers also. Give it a surface dusting once a week. Once a year you can take of the chandelier and clean it thoroughly.
- Vacuum fabric furniture. Use the crevice and upholstery attachments on your vacuum cleaner to vacuum things like sofas.
- Clean the floors as a final step. Follow up dusting by cleaning the floor. Otherwise, all the dust lays there from the furniture and ornaments you dusted.
- Vacuum the floor and any carpets or rugs, and don't miss the corners or under the furniture.
- Mop hard floors.
Look for more specific instructions per room here: Bedroom
- Pick up everything on the floor and other surfaces. Put everything where it belongs and put clothes in the laundry basket or in the closet.
- Dust one side of the room. Carefully dust all the furniture that is standing against the wall. Don't forget to dust the radiator if you have one. Take a radiator duster and dust the inside of the radiator between the wall and the radiator.
- Remove the sheets and blankets from the bed. Take off your mattress and vacuum both sides of it. Clean both sides with a damp cloth.
- This is a good opportunity to rotate your mattress.
- Dust your bed. This is one of the most important tasks, because beds are a prime habitat for dust mites. A typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites inside. (Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead mites and their droppings.) Mites prefer warm, moist surroundings such as the inside of a mattress when someone is on it. A favorite food is dander (both human and animal skin flakes). Humans shed about 1/5 ounce of dander (dead skin) each week. About 80 percent of the material seen floating in a sunbeam is actually skin flakes. Also, bedroom carpeting and household upholstery support high mite populations.[3] If you have a cover for your mattress this is the perfect time to put it on. Put the mattress back on the bed and remake your bed with clean sheets and blankets.
- Vacuum and mop the floor if needed.
- Clean all the bathroom cabinets, inside and out. Don't forget to clean the top of the cabinets.
- Clean the wall tiles from floor to ceiling with a sponge to remove stains and dirt. Wipe off the excess water with a chamois or a paper towel.
- Clean the tub/shower area thoroughly. A lot of dust accumulates there. Also don't forget to scrub those little nooks and crannies, to clean these you can use an old toothbrush to reach these difficult to reach spots.
- Clean the outside of the toilet first. Don't forget to clean any pipes that lead to the floor as it is there that most of the dust is. Later you can scrub the inside of the toilet with bleach or any other product of your choice.
- Vacuum and mop the floor.
- Remove the dust from any paintings and ornaments that are hanging in your hallway.
- Remove any cobwebs from the ceiling and the walls.
- Vacuum carpets or rugs. Mop hard floors.
- Dust the sides of the staircase.
- Vacuum every corner and nook of each individual step.
- Use a damp cloth or mop to clean the individual steps again until you reached the bottom.
- Remove every item out of you kitchen cabinets. Clean the inside and outside of the cabinets with a damp cloth. Don't forget to clean the top of the cabinets, too.
- Avoid using cleaning products with a strong odor.
- Clean any wall tiles. Use a sponge to remove any stains or dirt. Remove any excess water with a chamois or a paper towel.
- Clean the counter tops and the sink with the appropriate products.
- Dust the chairs and table(s)with a damp cloth, and don't forget to clean the legs.
- Vacuum the floor and mop or scrub the floor with a firm brush if you really want to remove all the dirt.
- Dust all the furniture, paintings, and don't forget to clean the top of the furniture as well.
- Vacuum the floor and any carpets or rugs. Finish by mopping, if it is a hard floor.
Tips
- Having fewer objects to dust makes it easier to dust. If you have many small objects, store them in enclosed storage, such as a box or drawer.
- A dryer sheet makes a wonderful dust cloth. Using one will not only pick up dust, it will eliminate static, making it harder for dust particles to adhere to the surface.[4]
- Don't forget to dust the light bulbs if you clean lamps. If the dust is really built up on top of the light bulb, the lamp won't give that much light and it will burn up faster then a clean light bulb.
- Use allergen-proof bed covers. Cover your mattress and pillows in dust-proof or allergen-blocking covers. These covers, made of either vinyl or tightly woven fabric, prevent dust mites from colonizing the mattress or pillows. Encase box springs in vinyl or plastic covers.
- Keep humidity low. Maintain a relative humidity between 30 and 50 percent in your home. A dehumidifier or air conditioner can help keep humidity low, and a hygrometer (available at hardware stores) can measure humidity levels.[5]
- To prevent dust on top of furniture you can cover it with an old newspaper. Next time, simply replace it with a new one. If you prefer this method, you can also use a washable cloth covering for certain furniture. You will need to wash it occasionally, but you don't have to look at newspaper or discard it each time.
Things You'll Need
- A microfiber dust cloth(s)
- A synthetic or feather duster
- A vacuum cleaner
- A mop
- A firm brush
- A bucket
- Cleaning products of your choice
- Dryer sheets (optional)
- A ladder or stepstool (optional)
Related wikiHows
- How to Clean Rust and Stains from a Tin
- How to Clean Fast
- How to Improve the Appearance of Your Room
- How to Pick Up Broken Glass Splinters
Sources and Citations
- ↑ http://www.epa.gov/asthma/dustmites.html
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dust-mites/DS00842/DSECTION=causes
- ↑ http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2157.html
- ↑ http://www.wisegeek.com/how-can-i-eliminate-dust-from-my-home.htm
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dust-mites/DS00842/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Dust Your Entire House. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
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